Graduation
by Sahitya Poonacha
Summary: "Graduation?...Did we really make it this far Scorp?". Yes they did and they rocked it, as they always did. Welcome to the Graduation of the Hogwarts class of 2022-23.


**GRADUATION**

"Graduation?...Did we actually make it this far Scorp?" Albus asked adjusting his dress robes feeling much too conscious.

Scorpius looked at him tugging his bow tie which wouldn't stay straight no matter what he tried "Yeah I was pretty sure I'd die during the NEWTs you know probably suicide so I wouldn't have to do them"

Albus sighed "But see you did them, how?"

Scorpius shrugged "The same way as you did….hey can you straighten this rotten piece of fabric for me?"

Albus walked over and around them there were numerous nervous seventh year students ready to take on the final step before they marched out of those gates.

Albus tugged at it and finally gave up "I'm sorry mate there's nothing I can do"

Just then someone cleared their throat behind them.

Scorpius peered over Albus' shoulder and his eyes widened, he gasped.

Albus turned too and was too surprised to say much.

Behind them was Rose in a midnight blue gown. As the dress code instructed, the boys were to where blue dress robes and the girls blue dresses for the occasion.

Rose looked very different from the Rose they saw daily in her bookish uniform.

Scorpius took in her falling red hair cascading over her shoulders less unruly that night, her dress hugged all her curves and that beautiful smile paired with her blue eyes could take anyone's breath away.

As Scorpius grinned and approached her, Albus noticed the girl standing behind her.

According to him, now she was a beauty.

She was shy he could see, her gown unlike Rose's didn't hug her hips but fell waist down in a most exquisite way. Her gown was three shades lighter than Rose's and showed off her muscled arms. Her neck was a simple boat neck, conservative and elegant.

Her hair was done up in a beautiful black knot allowing tendrils to frame her face.

She looked up shyly, her grey eyes rising up to meet Al's green orbs imploringly, searching for the approval that he struggled to frame into a sentence "Y-You look ….different"

Her smile fell and she played with her hands, he could have kicked himself. She'd never worn a dress before and he'd known her since she was four years old. She was his best mate and a long-time crush that he couldn't admit to even her; she was the most important person in his life and always would be.

It was tragic that she didn't know it.

She said "Oh" looking slightly disappointed.

He stuttered trying to make up for the previous blunder "No…I meant you look…brilliant, fantastic, b-b-beautiful"

She grinned "You don't look so bad yourself"

"You're wearing heels, you look taller than five four" He said easily slipping into their friendly banter.

She put on a sly smile "Don't make me hurt you on your graduation night Potter"

Albus laughed.

McGonagall entered the hall and said in her magically magnified voice"Yes, students, I hope you are all present here, now line up as you've been told, go on shuffle into your lines. Mr. Bixby you pull that bow anymore and you'll choke yourself and Ms. Greton your dress if fine, you can stop your hysterics now. Okay, line one please proceed as the doors open and the music begins to play"

Silent whispers broke out and everyone shuffled as they put on the rented cloaks and the witch hats.

Agatha Pomenade standing behind Albus whispered to him "Oddly reminds you of first year doesn't it?"

Albus snorted at his grey-eyed best friend.

Then everyone hushed as the doors opened and the lines began moving into the hall one after the other.

The great hall had been cleared of the house tables and it had been decorated solemnly for the occasion.

There were elaborate flower arrangements and white streamers floated above them.

Apparently the teachers and the Headmistress had finished their speeches and the parents seated in rows watched searching the mass of hats and cloaks for their very own progeny.

Albus spotted his parents and winked tipping his hat in acknowledgement, his father grinned and his mother pointed for him to keep moving with the line.

The students were seated and Neville Longbottom stepped on stage to announce the names of students of the Gryffindor house who would get their NEWT results along with their diploma.

As the names were called, every student received their fair share of applause.

When his name was called, Scorpius shot up in his seat and nervously adjusted his bow tie which failed to accept his master's tweaking.

He walked up and received his grades and diploma as confidently as he could.

The crowd applauded as the camera went off.

Albus's turn came and he yawned when his name was called until Agatha nudged him, he stood up and walked up as he had during the rehearsal and received his diploma graciously feeling much too fake, but he knew what protocol was.

He waited until all the names were called out.

Then he sat through the Head boy and Head girl's speeches.

While Scorpius's was emotional and personal also quite short, Rose's speech was long and winding, passionate and reminiscent.

Students by this time had tears in their eyes and were moved while the boys pretended to have something in their eyes, the girls tried to wipe their tears without bothering their mascara.

All in all it was the quietest they all had ever been and the most united, forgetting houses and all of the other petty rivalries, just being together and thinking back through time.

They stood up to sing the school song one last time

"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, hoggy warty Hogwarts,  
Teach us something please,  
Whether we be old and bald,  
Or young with scabby knees,  
Our heads could do with filling,  
With some interesting stuff,  
For now they're bare and full of air,  
Dead flies and bits of fluff,  
So teach us things worth knowing,  
Bring back what we've forgot,  
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,  
And learn until our brains all rot"

They sang making up the tune as they went, passionately, screaming their lungs out.

Albus had never felt so emotional.

And when it was over and they all had to throw up their hats it happened.

Yes 'it' happened. Out from the ceiling came a blast disco lights and then a platform appeared with the Weird Sisters band atop the platform.

The lead singer of the Weird sisters the old and recently retired Myron Wagtail said in his husky voice "Let's lighten up the mood shall we? Agatha, Albus, this unexpected concert is for you and Professor McGonagall we love you, please do not faint"

The Hall went up in a hue and cry, the students threw their hats as the guitars boomed and the songs started.

Even the parents had risen to their feet screaming and hooting, at least the old fans of the Weird Sisters.

Rose asked Albus and Agatha "You two disrupted your own graduation?"  
The two closet pranksters exchanged a look and Agatha said "Yes, and I'm glad all the emotional nonsense is finished, it's just graduation, whoooooo!"  
Myron's voice was magnified "_Move your body like a hairy troll (Uh Huh)"_

There was jumping screaming and dancing.

Professor McGonagall though stunned and also afraid watched the chaos, she looked at the Albus and Agatha hooting with rest of the crowd and then she let up, she couldn't expel them now could she?

So for one time in the history of Hogwarts, Headmistress McGonagall let down her hair.

Well not literally, that would take its own time.

The Graduation was an unsupervised party but it was also a major success as the students and parents forgot their age gap and all for once acted the same age, not too young and not too old just themselves, all rules forgotten.

The food, fun and fiesta continued.

As the chaos calmed down towards the end and The Weird Sisters played their final song of the night, 'Magic Works' Albus and Agatha escaped the Hall, weaving through dancing couples and overturned tables.

Agatha's hair had come undone and as they laughed at each other, he noticed she didn't care.

He tugged nervously at his dress robes.

She looked at him and heaved a sigh "It's over, can you believe it?"

He shook his head.

She smiled her eyes shining "All good things come to an end"

He shook his head "Not everything"

She asked "Really, you have an example?"

He said without thinking "This…our friendship, it's never going to end"

She smiled sadly "I wish it did"

His heart began beating wildly and he asked strangled "Why….what happened?"  
She didn't look at him "Then we could be something more"  
He took a few seconds to process what she said "You mean…are you saying? You're not serious? Are….uhm….well….yes….I…..do….I'm trying….always did…..Agatha?"  
In response to his severely lacking conversation skills she rose up on her toes having discarded her heels a long time back and soundly kissed him to help him out and battle the awkward silence that was to follow his oh-so-very eloquent reply.

He didn't reciprocate the kiss immediately, but once he came out of his frozen state, he kissed her with vigor.

He was awkward, yes, not very good at framing thoughts into sentences also too shy for his own good, but she made up for it by being clearly his better and many times his worse half by having qualities that contradicted his vastly.

When they broke away she asked raising an eyebrow "How many girls have you kissed?"

He was gob smacked, that wasn't something you expected to be asked by your new friend turned girlfriend "Just two….."

She nodded "Oh including me?"

He nodded embarrassed; yes he didn't have much experience with relationships, now if they could please move away from that topic.

She said threateningly "It better remain that way Albus, I'm warning you now"

He laughed "Do I come across as a person who has the nerve to cheat on his girlfriend, especially when it's you? The only reason I haven't dabbled in more kissing is you, you're the reason"

She punched him playfully "You're a git"

He asked "So you're happy with the present arrangement between us?"  
She shrugged completely defeating the girly look of the gown once and for all "Yeah why not?"  
Eventually they walked back to the common room as the people began slipping out of the hall.

Agatha said brushing her black tresses away from her face "You think we'll be like Rose and Scorpius?"

He asked her joking "What as in weird pet names and lots of snogging?"  
She laughed nervously "No as in loyal and open, we both know we're both bad at hard conversations"  
He sighed shuffling his fee and watching the dancing flames of the torches "We'll figure it out, along the way"  
She nudged his side hard and he yelled in protest jumping away from her she said "I don't want to lose you because I keep everything bottled inside, it's what my Mum always does and it drives my Dad insane. You know how many times they broke up before they got married? It's a surprise they're still together honestly"  
Albus snorted and she glared at him, he sobered up and told her "Look, either way nothing's going to go as we plan it, not with our kind of luck. But I know I'm sticking by you for as long as I can, which means you're also stuck with me. Inseparable aren't we? I told you already, you're the reason why I have only kissed one other girl and that was to get you jealous which obviously didn't work. Can I be more loyal than that?"  
She broke a smile and he felt accomplished "Making me jealous? You actually tried to do that?"

He turned away blushing "Can we not discuss this?"  
She said "No this is honesty, so tell me"

He looked at her glaring and distressed "Why do you love making me uncomfortable?"

She pinched his cheeks and he swatted at her hands irritated"Because it's funny, you should know that by now"  
He shook his head "Anyway, I wanted to ask you, how long have you liked me?"

She asked him "How does it matter? Fifth year and I'm surprised you didn't notice"

He was shocked "I'm surprised too"

A little later she spoke breaking the silence "We graduated"

He nodded "Yeah"

She shook her head "No I meant, _we_ graduated. From friends into a relationship"

She blushed furiously and he felt a special kind of warmth spreading through his body, he couldn't have been happier, really it was impossible.

They walked back to the common room, that's where they got awkward. She pointed to the girls' staircase "Okay, I'll head up then, I'm going to bed and tomorrow we leave right?"  
He nodded unable to say something. He stood swinging back and forth on his heels and then said "Yeah….Goodnight Agatha, sleep well"

She smiled and disappeared up the staircase.

He stood there for a minute just staring at the staircase in a daze.

Before he could comprehend what happened, she came whizzing down the staircase. She hugged him and placed a swift kiss on his cheek. She didn't say anything else or meet his eyes she just disappeared up the stairs again.

Albus ran his hand over his cheek where she had kissed him, he could still feel her lips on his cheek.

He laughed to himself and went to his own dorm.

He didn't wait up for Scorp, he knew it was pointless. While he wore his nightclothes, he replayed the evening in his mind. How proud his parents had been. How they were dancing some unknown steps inside their own little world, and how they pulled him into a hug too proud to put emotions into words.

Albus was lucky, a very lucky boy. He had made it, it was bitter sweet, but he could deal with that.

Yes, they had graduated and that was the most powerful emotion of all that night.

* * *

**AN: I am back, and since I just finished writing the most important exams of my school career I just had to write a graduation fic.**

**I never have, so I'm keeping this a one-shot because it's more suited for it. **

**Tell me how much you liked it or hated it, I honestly don't mind, so in short review please.**

**Sahitya Poonacha[It's weird because I'm so used to putting SPHP20896:)]**


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